Ringworm is one of the most common skin conditions seen in horses. Despite its name, it isn’t caused by a worm but by a fungus. While this isn’t a life-threatening condition, ringworm is highly contagious, unsightly, and uncomfortable for your horse. The good news is that with the right care and biosecurity measures, you can treat and prevent ringworm in horses effectively.
What Is Ringworm?
Ringworm is a fungal infection of the skin caused by dermatophytes, most often Trichophyton or Microsporum species. It appears as circular patches of hair loss, often with scaly, crusty skin. These lesions may spread quickly across the body and are especially common in young horses or those under stress.
Ringworm is also zoonotic, meaning it can spread to humans, so it’s essential to handle affected horses with care.
How Is Ringworm Contracted?
Ringworm spreads via direct contact with an infected horse or indirectly through contaminated surfaces and equipment. Common sources include:
- Shared tack, grooming brushes, and saddle pads
- Rugs and stable equipment
- Stables, walls, and doors where fungal spores can survive for months
- People’s hands and clothing
Because the spores are so resilient, outbreaks can linger in a yard unless thorough biosecurity measures are taken.
How to Prevent Ringworm in Horses
Prevention is always better than cure when it comes to contagious skin diseases. A consistent yard biosecurity routine and effective disinfection are key:
- Disinfect equipment: Regularly clean and disinfect saddles, bridles, grooming tools, and feed buckets.
- Wash and disinfect rugs and saddle pads: Fungal spores thrive in fabrics and can easily lead to cross-contamination.
- Stable hygiene: regularly disinfect stable walls, doors, and shared spaces where spores can live.
Equine Bio Genie’s disinfectant is proven to kill ringworm spores, making it a powerful tool in breaking the infection cycle. You can even use it in the washing machine to disinfect your rugs and saddle pads. It’s safe for horses and humans, eco-friendly, and there is no need to rinse after use, making it the ideal biosecurity product for daily use around horses.
Ringworm Treatment for Horses
If your horse does contract ringworm, quick action will help reduce its spread and speed up recovery:
- Isolate the affected horse to reduce cross-contamination.
- Clip the hair around lesions carefully to expose the infected skin (using dedicated clippers that are disinfected afterwards).
- Apply Equine Bio Genie’s All Purpose disinfectant spray directly to the affected areas. This veterinary-grade formula is proven to kill the fungal spores on contact, supporting healing and reducing the risk of further spread.
- Disinfect equipment and the environment daily, including rugs, grooming brushes, and stables.
- Maintain good hygiene by washing hands and changing clothing after handling an infected horse.
Most horses recover from ringworm within a few weeks, but thorough disinfection ensures the spores don’t linger and cause reinfection.
Protect Your Horse and Yard
Ringworm is a frustrating but preventable condition. By combining good management practices with effective disinfection, you can keep your horse, your yard, and yourself safe from fungal infections.
Equine Bio Genie’s disinfectant is specifically designed to protect horses from contagious diseases and fungal infections such as ringworm, strangles and equine flu. Get in touch to find out more about our products and services.
Bespoke Equine Testing
We have gone to the very well respected equine laboratory of the Irish Equine Centre to have additional efficacy testing carried out.
We have commissioned testing done to unusually low contact times across various dilution rates. These tests were carried out using an equine serum as an interfering agent under clean and dirty conditions